School Events

Gods and Monsters: Stories and Poems from Mythology

I love mythology! I have a talk with slides for audiences of Y3 - Y7 about the ways in which mythology pops up everywhere from brand names to days of the week. We look at cosmic turtles, the Norse gods and The Odyssey, with story telling and poems.

We close with the interactive and very popular World Cup of Mythological Monsters, in which the children decide the victor of imaginary monster battles. This is a fun way to learn about the origins and evolution of legends around dragons, yetis, gorgons, the sphinx, the minotaur, the bunyip and more.

“It was a wonderful morning and truly memorable for staff and children alike. The children were buzzing with excitement and we really appreciate the time you took in speaking to them and approaching everything with such infectious enthusiasm!”

— Sarah Griffin-Keane, Kingswood Primary School

Please get in touch for bookings and fees (which include a signed copy of Gods and Monsters for your school library). You can email me here.

Heroes and Villains: Stories and Poems about Legends

In this talk with slides for audiences of Y3 - Y7, we think about the difference between myths and legends, and how legends have sprung up around real people and events. We talk about quests and voyages and legendary lands, and about figures like King Arthur and Boudicca. We also look at the legend of Filey Brigg, which combines inspiration from the landscape and historical discoveries with dragons and cake!

We close with the World Cup of Legendary Beasts and Baddies where the children get to decide who wins as opponents including Morgan le Fay, Rita the Pirate and Spring-Heeled Jack face adversaries such as the selkie, the Loch Ness Monster and the Yeti.

Wonder: The Natural History Poetry Book (for Primary Schools)

In this interactive talk for Primary School pupils which can be tailored to your time and age-group requirements, I read poems about the solar system, whales and dinosaurs and talk about how the poets use language and imagery to help us look at the natural world in a new and exciting ways. I recommend an interactive half hour session for Y1-2 and a slightly longer talk of around 45 minutes for Y3-Y6.

Questions to be considered as a group will include: what planets might taste of, how it might feel to meet a Kronosaurus while swimming and whether or not we’d like to be a whale. Audience participation is encouraged as we think of descriptive words and respond to the poems together.

Find more details about these events in my blog Poetry to inspire future planet champions.

Please get in touch for bookings and fees (which include a signed copy of Wonder for your school library). You can email me here.

“The lesson was really great. Poems and content were pitched perfectly for Year 3. They really enjoyed the subject matter too - can't go wrong with space or animals/dinosaurs!”

— Darren Gardiner, Y3 form teacher, West Ashtead School

The Hidden History of Women’s Writing (11+ / adult)

My illustrated talk can be tailored to your time slot, age range (11+ / adult) and audience. It looks at the reasons why more women didn’t write, publish or make it into the ‘greatest hits’ of English Literature in previous centuries, and tells little-known stories of amazing women who bucked this trend. I can also deliver the talk online.

I include fiction writers as well as poets, with examples from the Brontës, who initially published under male pseudonyms, to today’s literary superstars.

I take lively look at why more women didn't write, publish or enjoy literary success and tell the amazing hidden histories of the bold writers who bucked that trend - from pious Puritans, a Pre-Raphaelite muse and a daring duchess to an ambitious housemaid and a pioneering civil rights activist.

We also look at today’s brightest stars, including award winners, schoolgirls and bestselling poets like Carol Ann Duffy and Nikita Gill.

"Thank you very much for coming to Wycombe High School yesterday and for giving such an interesting talk to our Year 7s. They really engaged with what you were saying as demonstrated by the number and quality of the questions they asked you at the end. "

— Sally Blackburne, Librarian, Wycombe High School

I close with the good news that we can all contribute to building a broader canon for the future, and include poetry readings during the talk. I am always delighted to take questions and lead related discussions.

This talk is based on the research for my anthologies of women’s poetry She is Fierce and She Will Soar.

Please get in touch for bookings and fees (which include a signed copy of She Will Soar for your school library.) You can email me here.

Working in Publishing

I have worked as a publicist in trade publishing for over twenty years, and am currently Campaigns Director (part-time) at Quercus Books. I can talk to secondary school groups about careers in Publishing, explaining what the different departments such as Editorial, Marketing, Sales, Foreign Rights and Production do and what skills are desirable in each. I have been involved in hiring publicists at all levels for over a decade so am well placed to advise school leavers on next steps. I can also talk specifically about Public Relations as a career.

I love my job, and I’ve done a lot of fun and unusual things in the course of it, including carrying slowly defrosting grouse carcasses to Crewe for a cookery feature, dressing my colleagues up as corpses, being filmed for The One Show reading my teenage diary, toasting pine nuts in John Lewis, accompanying authors including Sir Roger Moore to television and radio interviews, analysing people’s doodles and hiding meerkat toys around London. So I have lots of stories to tell as well as industry insights to share!